Gemma Cockrell
Canadian singer and songwriter, Avril Lavigne, released her latest album, ‘Love Sux’, on 25th February 2022. ‘Love Sux’ is her seventh album to date. Gemma Cockrell reviews.
“Avril Lavigne is back!”, the internet screams. But did she ever really leave? Well… no. She actually released an album three years ago, in 2019, titled ‘Head Above Water’, but unfortunately, no one seemed to realise. Three years between albums is pretty standard when you compare to other artists, and in fact, the biggest break she took from music was between 2013 and 2019, when she was battling Lyme Disease.
Another remarkably funny thing about this statement is the fact that despite the image that she has upheld for her entire career, Avril’s music itself was never really that ‘punk’ in the first place. Sk8er Boi, My Happy Ending and What The Hell were pretty upbeat and had a flavour of punk, sure, but tracks like Complicated, I’m With You, and many others throughout her discography, leant more towards rock ballad territory.
In terms of sound, as an overall album, ‘Love Sux’ is probably the most punk Avril has ever sounded. Rather than reverting back to her roots, Avril seems to be conforming to the current trends in the genre. Pop punk is alive again thanks to TikTok, with artists like Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker owning and redefining the sound. You will not be surprised to find a feature from MGK here, and with Avril signed to Barker’s DTA Records, he was obviously very involved in the process too.
There are some more heartfelt moments scattered throughout
It is undeniable that this project lacks maturity – you can tell this just from the album’s title. There are some more heartfelt moments scattered throughout, like Dare To Love Me and Avalanche, but, for the most part, this album does sound like it was written by someone much younger than Avril. Even the lyrics that she wrote on her debut album at the age of 17 held more maturity and poise.
However, the track Girlfriend, which she released in 2007 at 22 years old, was a step down in maturity from ‘Let Go’, and this didn’t stop it from becoming one of her most successful and well-known songs. Avril tried the mature approach with her comeback album ‘Head Above Water’ in 2019, and with the album failing to generate the attention of the mainstream, this method didn’t work for her, so who can blame her for letting loose and having more fun this time around?
Avril’s vocals are as strong as ever
So, for those who are criticising ‘Love Sux’ for being immature, I beg you to take a trip back to 2019, and appreciate the album that you all let flop undeservedly. But for now, even though ‘Love Sux’ is definitely not the most mature album in the world, it’s fun, it’s energetic, and Avril is clearly enjoying herself. Once you look at it through this light, you will start to appreciate the highlights of this album. Avril’s vocals are as strong as ever, despite being 20 years into her career, and tracks like the lead single Bite Me are fierce, sassy, and dripping with attitude.
As someone who grew up listening to Avril’s music, I will admittedly always prefer her earlier material, and I will continue to return to that at any given opportunity. But as long as you aren’t expecting ‘Love Sux’ to generate the same emotions or nostalgia, and you take some of the lyrics with a pinch of salt, then ‘Love Sux’ still has a lot to offer.
Gemma Cockrell
Featured image courtesy of Alex Watkin. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article image courtesy of @avrillavigne_lovesux via @instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.
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